The Camelot Chronicles: The Dragon's Call
by Shrolin72zee
Summary: Orphan Arianna never expected the events that occured one morning. Arianna is called back to Camelot, in the reign of King Arthur: her ancestor. However as Camelot flowers, evil lurks. Morgana is attacking the dragons of Camelot. Now Arianna and Kilgharrah must unlock the young Pendragon's power to save the dragons from extinction..and Camelot from a neverending war.1ST FANFIC!
1. Prologue

The Camelot Chronicles: The Dragon's Call

WARNING:Guys, this doesn't have much to do with _Merlin_. This story is just based on _Merlin_.

Prologue 

The legends that you have probably read state that Arthur died at the hands of Mordred. Well, what if I told you that he lived and the line of the Pendragons continued? If you don't believe it, then stop reading. Turn around and walk away right now. Because whatever I say, I mean it. And when I say Arthur lived, I mean every word. Now in order to further understand my point, let's go back to the beginning.

Merlin paddled with all his might towards the midnight-black island. A dark structure stood, looming above Merlin. It was in the middle of the lake of Avalon, much to Merlin's frustration. He grew tired but he pushed himself. He couldn't falter. Not now. Arthur lay on his back in the boat, white as a sheet. His heart wasn't beating. He wasn't breathing. He was dead. "No, he can't be," Merlin thought. "I won't accept it." Call him stupid, barmy, anything. Merlin didn't care. He couldn't let go. Arthur was his best friend. He couldn't leave him. Merlin kept rowing towards the island. Tears streamed down his face. "Please let it not be too late." He already used magic to push the boat but he needed to go faster. "Come on, come on." Suddenly, the boat lurched forward and sped to the island. The current was pushing them along. Merlin smiled. Freya was trying to help him. The boat pushed on until finally, he reached the shore. Merlin grabbed Arthur and gripped him hard. He then proceded to run through the entrance to the middle of the structure. A black marble slab stood in the centre. Merlin placed Arthur on the slab and looked at him. He wanted Arthur to wake up so badly, but he didn't. Merlin turned and called,"Hello? Is anyone here?" No answer. Merlin started to get anxious. "Hello?" "Welcome, young warlock." Merlin spun around. The walls were lined with torches containing blue fire. Standing at the marble slab, surrounding Arthur, people wearing blue cloaks stood, solemn looks on their faces. They were quite short, almost as short as children, except they looked like adults. In the middle of them all, a beautiful young,_tall_ lady stood. She possesed fair skin and golden hair. She was youthful but looked wise, a quality Merlin wished he possesed. The lady he was staring at spoke. "I doubt you know who we are." "I don't." "Well, hardly anyone comes here. I assume you have come to ask for the salvation of your king." "Yes." "Then we shall grant it. You ought to stand back." Wait, that's it? You don't demand anything?" "You underestimate us. Stand back." Merlin obeyed. Anything for his friend. The sorceress faced Arthur. A young girl, or at least Merlin thought she was, brought a bowl containing more of the blue fire. The sorceress scooped up part of it and held it in her hand as the others held hands and chanted. She held it aloft, high above her head. Merlin could just glimpse the fire. Then Merlin gasped. Something was moving in the fire! Merlin looked closer and realised he was seeing moving _pictures_ in the fire, like in the Crystal of Neotid. Merlin stared at the pictures. He saw Morgana! She was gasping for life. Merlin had stabbed her. Then, the image changed. Morgana was still in the palace playing Uther's loving ward. but she wasn't. Merlin could see the malice in her eyes. Merlin felt sad, disappointed. He sometimes had that feeling when he thought of Morgana. The image changed once more. Merlin felt like crying. This time, the fire showed Morgana when she still was good, when she was Merlin's friend. Merlin's heart sagged. Where did that Morgana go? All this hapened in a split second and Merlin felt happy when it ended. Now Merlin understood why the sorceress didn't ask for anything. She planned to use Morgana's life as payment. Merlin smiled at the sorceress's wisdom. She chanted a few words and and with all the strength she coluld muster, she drove the fire into Arthur, right at the wound that had cost him his life. As fire and flesh met, a huge explosion of blue light erupted from the circle. Merlin shielded his eyes from the burning light. Then the light receded and Merlin looked up. The sorceress was holding something in her hand. Merlin's heart stopped. It was the shard of metal that came from Mordred's sword. A rush of memories then flooded Merlin. He saw a gigantic leech sticking to his face, draining his power. He saw himself as an old man shooting lightning bolts at Morgana's army, then again, young this time, stabbing Morgana. He saw Arthur lying in his arms, genuinely thanking him for the first time only to die the next second. He remembered the pain and sorrow when he saw Arthur's lifeless body. A tear ran down Merlin's cheek. He wiped it away and started towards the sorceress. She turned around and said,"It is done." Merlin looked at Arthur. Nothing. Merlin's heart crumbled to pieces. His last hope was wasted. He bent down to cry freely. He looked up so he'd forever remember his favourite clotpot's face. Arthur's eyes were twitching. Merlin leaned closer to make sure. Yes, they were. With new hope, Merlin put his ear on Arthur's chest. There was a pulse. Merlin's heart ran a relay race, did a somersault and did a happy dance. Merlin called softly to his best friend. "Arthur." Arthur's eyes fluttered open. Merlin couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy. Arthur groaned and whispered something. Merlin leaned closer to hear. "Well, if it isn't the idiot who saved my life." Merlin chuckled. Some things never change. Melrin reached forward and hugged Arthur. The others smiled happily. The young girl put away the fire and clapped her hands. Even the sorceress smiled. Merlin let go of Arthur and smiled. Arthur smiled back. The sorceress spoke,"Well done, young warlock. Welcome back, young prince." Merlin said,"Thank you for everything." "You have succeded today, young warlock. And Camelot will know peace for a while, but you must beware. The enemy will arise once more and in that horrific hour, you must be brave." Arthur spoke weakly, "I don't understand. Morgana was killed." "So you think." Both Merlin and Arthur loked confused. "I understand you must be confused." Merlin and Arthur stared blankly. "Fear not. All will be revealed when the time comes." "Is there a chance? Is there a chance where all of us live?" Merlin didn't want any more surprises. The sorceress merely smiled. "The prophecy stated that Arthur would die, yet against all odds he lived. There's always a chance, Merlin. You only have to be brave enough to see it, a quality you do not seem to lack." Merlin smiled at the compliment. "However, this time it's not about you. Another warrior will come and that warrior is the one to vanquish the darkness. But she will need help." Merlin and Arthur smiled. "We'll gladly give it to her" said Arthur. The sorceress smiled. Suddenly, she started to glow. The others also were bathed in a sky-blue light. They started to fade as the glow got stronger. As they dissapeared, a voice echoed across the room. The sorceress said, "Good luck."Then , total silence. Merlin turned to Arthur. "I'm hungry." "Me too." Arthur slid off the marble slab. And together they walked side by side. They both worried about the sorceress's warning. Who is this warrior? When would she come? They pondered these questions ,then heard their tummies rumbling and focused on what they were going to eat when they got home. Though they were right to wonder. A warrior would come, but not until many, many,_ many _years later.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When most people see a dark silhouette of a young girl wearing a hoodie coming out of the mist that usually lurks around the streets of London, they think it's a ghost and immediately turn the other way. And if you think that way, then I'm guessing you're a tourist. Because anybody who's spent even two months in London would know that's young Arianna prowling about the streets looking for food or certain knick-knacks to-well, knick. Although she sounds scary, rest assured, she's no criminal. Arianna was orphaned when she was barely three and had to learn to fend for herself very early. But, she's not threatening at all, both on the inside and out. With electric blue eyes, wavy dirty blonde hair and sly character, Arianna was soon known throughout the streets of London. She could be nice and a good thieving partner so long as you don't mess with her. If you do, you'd better treasure your days. If you were to ask Arianna how she started out, her story would be the same as any other orphan story-she spent her early days learning the twists and turns of the alleyways of London until she knew them like the back of her hand. Therefore, it was easier for her to survive with an assortment of 'borrowed' items. Prancing about the rooftops, raiding pantries and weaselling her way out of the clutches of the law: this was the life Arianna possessed. In short, she was no different from the other orphans..._or so she thought._

The morning sun had long risen over a sleeping London, symbolizing the start of a new day. Arianna was just sitting down on a comfy lawn chair in her humble abode (the roof of an abandoned sports stadium) enjoying a delicious mulberry jam sandwich, when she heard it. It was faint at first, a mere whisper, but it grew louder and louder so. A voice, a deep, steady voice called her name. "Arianna." Arianna grew suspicious. No one was calling from below in the streets. All she could see was a few stray dogs playing and performing the common 'butt-sniffing ritual.' And no one was whispering her name inside the stadium. If they were, she would have heard the squeaky door open. "It's almost as if-no, it can't be", thought Arianna. Then, she heard the voice again, but in a more agitated way, as the bearer was getting impatient. "Arianna." "Nope, it's definitely in my head. But why?" she asked herself. "Come down, Arianna. Into the stadium," the voice commanded. As much as Arianna was reluctant and frankly a bit scared to follow that voice, she was just as curious to find out who it belonged to. So, she grabbed a nearby baseball bat as a weapon and ran down the stairs to the stadium. The stadium was intended for the Olympics, but it was either too small or too smelly (it was right next to a tannery, a stinky one), so the project was abandoned, even when the tannery moved and the stadium smelled better. Arianna has called it home ever since. Once inside the stadium, she found there was no one here. "Where are you?" she asked, trying not to make her voice quiver. The dark stadium was a tad creepy. "Show yourself." In the middle of the stadium was an old swimming pool. It was emptied out when the stadium closed down. Arianna walked towards it and peered inside. She immediately decided the various food containers of previous Chinese takeouts or the empty Coca-cola cans weren't the bearer of that mysterious voice. Arianna was just about to turn back when she heard it again. "Arianna." It seemed to come from inside the pool. She peered inside again and got the shock of her life. Slowly then gaining a tremendous amount of speed, the pool started to fill up with a weird amber coloured liquid. The containers and cans turned to dust as soon as the water touched them. Arianna couldn't believe her eyes. The water was like raging rapids, surging up from an unknown source. Suddenly, a jet of water sprang out of the pool, drenched Arianna and pulled her in. Arianna wanted to scream as she was tossed about in the swirling spiral of water, gradually being pulled under. Any moment now, I'll hit the concrete, Arianna thought to herself. But she didn't. She just kept going down, down, down. The stadium spun before her eyes but not as much as her head. She was seeing stars, rainbows, Harry Styles. Then, jet blackness.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Uhh, what?" Arianna groaned. She woke up hours later, judging by the sun sinking under the peaks of a distant mountain. "Huh, it's actually quite-Wait, mountain? There're no mountains in London!" cried Arianna. "No, but there are in Camelot." Arianna sprung up to look for the voice. Her head did an Irish jig. It was still spinning a little. "Whoa, careful there, young Pendragon." Arianna spun around, surprisingly energized despite her being in an unknown land and the absence of her baseball bat. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. "A dragon," she gasped. And a beautiful one at that. A giant red dragon with a tail gradually turning dark blue stood regally before her. Arianna noticed its claws were glinting in the sunlight, then she realized the claws were made of pure gold. The dragon had emerald green eyes and a mane the colour of the now fading sunlight. "Magnificent," thought Arianna. "Young Pendragon, it's nice to see you in one piece," said the dragon. "That voice. You're the one who lured me down here," said Arianna in an annoyed tone. "Now, now, Arianna there's no need to be upset.""Oh, no, of course not," Arianna said sarcastically. "I'm dragged down here by a talking dragon to a field in an unknown land, miles away from home. Why would I be mad?"

"Actually, it's a few miles and a few millennia that are between you and your home."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I am the dragon Kilgharrah, the oldest and wisest of my kind."

"That's great, just great. Now, take me home. I'm getting tired of this act."

"This is no act, young Pendragon. You have been called back to fulfil your destiny, to protect us from the evil that now plagues this country."

"What are you-? What in the world-? Where am I? What am I doing here? Arianna grew anxious. "What if this isn't a dream?" she thought. "No, no, it has to be." Her thoughts fell back to the dragon, who looked at her expectantly.

"I'm waiting for an answer, dragon. Where am I?"

"Why, in Camelot, young Pendragon,"the dragon chuckled.

"Camelot? You don't mean the Camelot from the Arthurian Legend, do you?"

"Ah, so you do know the legend."

"Wait, are you saying this is THE Camelot, the realm of King Arthur?"

"Yes, child, young King Arthur Pendragon and his Knights of the Round Table."

"Arthur Pendragon..." wondered Arianna aloud. "Young Pendragon...why do you refer to me as such?"

"Well, Arianna. It's time you learn the truth about your lineage."Arianna stared at Kilgharrah, her gaze ever steady.

"King Arthur Pendragon is...your ancestor. You are the descendant of King Arthur of Camelot." Arianna couldn't believe her ears. It was all she could do to keep from fainting.

"Me, the descendant of King Arthur? No, it can't be. I'm not- I'm from London! I can't be his descendant.

"You are, my child. Accept it."

"I won't. Take me home now! I want no part in this." At this statement, Kilgharrah chuckled.

"None of us can choose our destiny, young Pendragon and none of us can escape it."

"Why am I here?"

"Some Pendragons have the ability to talk to dragons like me, tame them. Your bloodline gained this ability when the last dragonlord, Merlin, instilled his great power and the power of the dragon into the Great Sword of Camelot, thus binding himself to its bearer, Arthur Pendragon. You have great power, Arianna. And you must use it now to save us."

"What do you mean?"Arianna asked, struggling to comprehend what Kilgharrah just told her.

"For many months now the dragons of Camelot, your brother species, have been attacked by the witch and Camelot's mortal enemy, Morgana."

"I know her, she's in the Arthurian legend."

"Yes and she has been killing us off one by one. You are the only one with the strength and power to defeat Morgana."

"But why me? Why can't it be another Pendragon?"

"Not many Pendragons have this ability, Arianna. And even more few can access it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You must find the Great Sword of Camelot, for it was stolen some time ago."

"All right, then if you will just kneel. I'll climb on your back and we'll find the sword in no time. At this, Kilgharrah chuckled once more, much to Arianna's annoyance.

"Humans. So narrow-minded."

"Yeah, thanks a lot."

"You're welcome. Because of the separation of the sword from its place of power, its powers and therefore the dragon's powers are weak. But yours, however, are ever strong. You must follow the path of your destiny. Along the way, obstacles will unmask your true potential and your great power. Your gifts will be needed before the end. This journey, not unlike countless others must be undertaken alone and unaided."

"All right, Kilgharrah, dragon, thing. I'm not ready for this. I'm just a simple orphan from London."

"Oh, young Pendragon, when will you accept that you are so much more than that? That you have powers equivalent to a great dragon. You are more powerful than any man you have ever known...and also our only hope. Please don't leave us to die." It might be nice to let you know how Arianna felt. Sick to her stomach, terrified of the so called 'obstacles' Kilgharrah mentioned but also a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards the fate of those dragons.

"I summoned you here because I don't want to see my kin suffer. I sense you share that same desire." In truth, Arianna did.

"Do not fear. I have only told you one part of your journey."

"So I shouldn't be scared by this next part?" said Arianna uncertainly.

Ignoring her, Kilgharrah continued, "Once you find the sword, you must bring it to your forefather, Arthur."

"And then?"

"You go home."

"Oh, that's just terrible- wait what?

"You go home. Our powers will be restored and we'll be able to fight back."

"Wait, wait. No war. No grave for me?"

"That I can't be certain. What I do know-"

"Kilgharrah, give it to me straight. Am I going to be in a battle with Morgana or not?" With a smile, Kilgharrah replied, "The die is not yet cast, young Pendragon. We'll call for you when we need you. For now you must help us with this situation. Please."Arianna didn't want to die but she knew what she had to do.

"Ahh, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?

A few hours after her conversation with Kilgharrah, who gave her nothing but some advice on her destiny and a sword, Arianna found herself in the Forest of Ascetir, looking for the Sword of Camelot. "Well, this is absolutely peachy. What in heaven's name made me agree to this in the first place? Actually, Arianna herself didn't know. It was just a feeling she had, a sense of brotherhood, of family. After a long day of cutting through branches and stepping on goodness knows what, Arianna came across a clearing where she decided to spend the night. As night fell, Arianna turned in for the night, remarkably forgetting the adventures of the day. Her eyelids drooped and the world became dark as she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Crack. Arianna woke up. She did not know this, but it was the middle of the night at this time. Crack. A sound of a branch breaking, just to the far left of Arianna made her stand up. Crack. Quickly but carefully, Arianna grabbed hold of her sword. "Show yourself," Arianna shouted into the night. "YAAAH!" A man wearing a black tunic emerged from the trees, sword in hand, a murderous look in his eyes. Arianna knew then and there this man was planning to kill her. And she had no idea what to do. However, this proved to be a historic day of Camelot, as you shall soon see.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Arianna did the first thing that came to her mind. In her defence, she had no idea what else she could do. Arianna fled. She ran at a speed that would win her a gold trophy at a hundred-yard race at any prep school in England. At least, until a few other men bearing arms blocked her path to freedom. Arianna was surrounded. The enemy closed in on her, no way of escape. Arianna's first instinct was to find a weak spot in their circle, burst through and run for the hills. (She's done that to many policemen, much to their frustration.) However as they kept closing, as the realization that flight was impossible sank in, the idea of running just faded away. Her instinct was replaced with that of someone else, someone braver, more skilled in the art of combat. Arianna now saw her enemies differently. She started analysing the situation, pinpointing the men's weak points. Out of nowhere, she found out, from their dress code, that they were raiders from the Northern Plains with a certain fighting style=brute force. But Arianna told herself she could do this, she was better. And as she held her sword poised, ready for attack, she knew deep down what Kilgharrah said was true. That she was a Pendragon. HYAAH! As the man closest to Arianna came charging for the first strike, Arianna parried then as he reeled sideways, she struck a blow to the head. Then another swordsman charged, but Arianna parried and pushed downwards, thus pushing the sword out of the man's hands. She then cut his chest. Brutal but effective. And the fight went on as more men joined the fallen ones on the ground. But it was not to last. Reinforcements poured out from the woods. Arianna kept fighting but it was wearing her down. Sooner or later, she would just collapse. "Kilgharrah, a little help," Arianna wondered as she swung her sword and befell a soldier. What she didn't know was you had to summon a dragon for him to help you at all. So, unfortunately, Kilgharrah didn't fly to the rescue. As Arianna struggled to fight, the raiders noticed she was getting weary. They took this opportunity and cornered her. Arianna found herself being forced onto a tree trunk, the raiders battling still, showing no mercy. "Ah, well, this is it," thought Arianna. "It's over." But fortunately, it wasn't the end. Suddenly, Arianna felt warmth, a sort of fire inside her. The whole battle seemed to slow down before her very eyes. Arianna stared in awe as the fighters seemed to lunge slower. The warmth was faint at first, but it grew, spreading through her body with amazing speed. As it gained strength, Arianna felt a part of her, an untapped part of her mind, being started up again. And then she felt it. Power, energy coursing through her veins the way the warmth of a steaming cup of hot chocolate does when you're cold. When the raiders lunged at her once again, (in normal speed, this time) Arianna thrust her hand forward and said the following words. "Hileya pon beck." Those simple words had a terribly drastic effect. The trees were bent a little, the heather looked as if a tidal wave had hit them. The raiders got the worst. They were blown back a few yards as if a sonic wave had hit them. Those who were unlucky enough to be close to Arianna when she cast the spell were blown back quite a bit, toppling more men on the way. They fell to the forest floor, unconscious. Arianna would have shouted in joy if she hadn't realized the raiders could wake at any moment. Acquiring a few supplies, Arianna made her way south of the clearing. She was still a bit dazed at what had just transpired back there. "Not with 10 men could you do such a thing." Little did she know that was only the beginning.

Arianna strode south of the clearing where she left the raiders. Morning came with the promising light of the new day. The first light of the sun peeked above the mountaintops and the dark skies were now streaked with amber and mauve. As the strands of sunlight pierced through the clouds like columns of gold, Arianna made her way to the Theamegh River, which she had somehow plucked out of the back of her head. (You would have guessed that those were the memories of her ancestors. Magic does have its advantages.) She soon came to the stream and drank greedily as she thirsty, then filled the canteen she 'borrowed' from one of the raiders. She glanced around her. There was no sign of life besides a few bushes of primroses growing on the river bank and the forest surrounding her. Suddenly, she spied a hint of red. An apple tree grew on the other side of the river. Arianna stared at it. Its glossy surface and pungent fragrance seemed to beckon Arianna. She waded through, (granted, it was a small river.) walked over and picked the apple from its branch. The stream was just visible from here. She found herself in a small orchard of apple trees, bright red apples hanging on thin branches, ripe to the core. Arianna glanced around and quickly filled her pockets with the apples. Unexpectedly, a faint hiss was sounded. Arianna had a faint memory of that noise and remembered it was dangerous, whatever it was. She quickly drew her sword, now glinting in the sunlight and cleaned of the carnage it caused yesterday, and looked around nervously, eyes peeled for movement. She could feel that strange sensation again. It gave her courage. She walked up and brandished her sword valiantly. "Who's there?" No answer. Suddenly, out of the bushes crept a giant scorpion. Big as a horse, with a long body, shell as black as pitch and big beady eyes with flaming red pupils. Its stinger was held poised, waiting patiently for an opportunity to strike. Then Arianna heard another hiss. Another scorpion appeared. And another and another, until Arianna was surrounded."Well, this is becoming a bit of a habit," thought Arianna. Suddenly, one of the scorpions moved to strike. She weaved and stabbed the scorpion. It fell to the ground, dead. However this didn't make Arianna any happier as it just made the other scorpions angrier. As the giant scorpions attacked, their deadly stingers high in the air, Arianna realized they were Serkets, though in Camelot's Golden Age, they became more commonly known as 'The Devil Scorpion.' "Cutesy name," Arianna wondered to herself as she avoided the stingers and pierced scorpions as best she could. But it was not to last. As a scorpion lunged at Arianna, (unfortunately not the last, for more came from the forest) she ducked to avoid its pincers but at that moment, the scorpion stung Arianna on the neck. "Aaah!" she cried and fell to the ground but she quickly picked herself off the ground. What she found were dozens of giant scorpions advancing, an evil look in their eyes. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Arianna incanted the only spell she could think of. "Forbearnan figernholt!" The forest floor erupted in flames. Streaks of red and columns of vermillion leaped into the air. Some managed to escape into the forest while the unlucky ones were burnt to a crisp. Hmm, I wonder what roast scorpion tastes like. Anyway, the Serkets quickly drew back. They've faced magic before and they did not want to become an appetiser. Meanwhile, Arianna watched as the battle was won and she smiled. She gazed at a frightened scorpion. Wait, is that two scorpions or one? For she definitely saw two scorpions, then her vision grew blurry and she felt a little weak and hot. The poison was taking its toll on Arianna. Her whole body felt heavier and her knees buckled as she became weaker. Her wound on her neck burned with a searing pain. "No," she muttered drowsily as the world span in a medley of colours, faster and faster. Her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground with a thud.


End file.
